Display stand for tobacco pipes



March 9, 1943. o; BRUNNER DISPLAY STAND FOR TOBACCO PIPES Filed Oct. 25, 1941 INVENTOR' OTTO BRUNNER ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 9, 1943 DISPLAY STAND FOR TOBACCO PIPES Gtto Brunner, Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignor to Henry Leonard & Thomas, Inc., ()zone Park, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 23, 1941, Serial No. 416,192

3 Claims.

This invention relates to display stands, and more particularly to a display card for tobacco pipes.

Display cards of this character have heretofore used wires or cords to hold the pipes, thus adding to the cost of the display card, and making it inconvenient to remove and handle the pipes for examination. In some cases spring clips have been used, but these tend to mar the outside or/and the inside of the pipe. They add greatly to the cost of the display card, and mar its appearance. Rubber-covered spring clips have also been proposed, but these are still more expensive and unattractive in appearance.

The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve display cards. A more particular object is to provide an improved display card which will overcome the faults and disadvantages pointed out above. Still another object is to provide a display card which may be manufactured wholly out of cardboard by the lithographing company which prints and shapes the display card. Still another object is to provide a display card which so receives and holds the pipes that they may be readily removed by a prospective customer, examined, and then returned to the display card. Still another object is to provide a display card especially adapted for pipes having pre-caked bowls, some of the pipes being displayed in such a manner as to feature the pre-caked bowl.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the display card elements and their relation one to the other as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by a drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a display card embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a larger display card;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same;

. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the rear of the display card;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section drawn to enlarged scale, and taken approximately in the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section explanatory of a detail, and is taken approximately in the plane of the line 6-5 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 1, the display card comprises a main board [2, the upper part of which may be ex tended and printed with appropriate advertising and illustrative matter. This part may be cut to desired shape, as is indicated at [4. The main board has one or more support columns l6 and I8. These are slotted to frictionally receive the stems of pipes 20. The stems of two additional pipes 22 are inserted downwardly into the upper ends of the support columns, thus exposing the inside of the bowl, as is desirable when dealing with pipes having pre-smoked or pre-caked bowls.

The display card is provided on its rear face with an appropriate easel structure 24, as 'is best shown in Fig. 4. Both the support columns on the front of the main board and the easel on the back are preferably designed to fold flat when not in use, so that the display cards may be shipped in compact stacks.

Referring to Fig. 5, the columns are triangular in section, each column consisting of a single piece of cardboard bent on two parallel fold lines to form the three sides. The rear or base side 30 is permanently cemented to the display card '32. The other two sides 34 and 36 of the support column are preferably substantially equal in width so as to form a symmetrical triangle. The free edge of the third side 36 is extended to form tongues 38, best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, but also shown in Figs. 2 and 4, said tongues being adapted'to be pushed forcibly or frictionally through mating slots M! in the main board 32, said slots 40 being best shown in Fig. 2. The upper and lower ends of the tongues 36 are preferably undercut somewhat, as is indicated at 42 in Fig. 6, so that the tongue is received and locked in the slot witha snap fit. When the tongues are free of the slots, the three sides making up the support column may be unfolded, as shown by the broken line position 34', 36' in Fig. 5, or further to a position flat against the mainboard 32. This is also i1 lustrated in Fig. 2, in which the left-hand support column 4-5 is shown in triangular or folded position,-while the right-hand support column 46 is show opened out to a position substantially flat against the main board 32.

The bottom edge d8 of the display board is bent forwardly, but readily moves back into the flat plane of the display board when not in use.

The shape of the slots which are cut into the support columns to receive the pipe stems is clearly shown at 5!! in Fig. 3. The approximate shape of these slots as initially cut through the unfolded or flat material of the support column is shown at 59' in Fig. 2. The m-anner in which the slots receive and grip the pipe stem is illustrated in Fig. 6, the pipe stem 52 being passed forcibly through the open forward end of the slot until it is held with a snug frictional engagement at the middle of the slot.

The easel may be of any desired or conventional character, and the particular detailed form of the same constitutes no part of the present invention. In the specific case here illustrated, it comprises a single piece of cardboard, the central portion 54 of which is cemented to the back of the main board 32. The side or leg portion 24 are generally triangular in shape and may be turned rearwardly to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. They may be locked in this position by an approximately semi-circular locking piece 58 which is turned downwardly from vertical to horizontal position about its forward edge. The legs 24 are cut away at 58 to accommodate this movement of the locking piece 55, and to provide the material for the locking piece, for all parts of the easel are formed from a single piece of material. The parts are notched to interlock.

It is evident that the display card may be modified to hold any desired number of pipes. That shown in Fig. 1 is intended to display siX or eight pipes. There are ix slots, while two additional pipes are inserted at the top. If only six pipes are to be displayed, two of the slots may be left empty (as though two pipes have already been sold).

The display card shown in the remaining figures of the drawing is intended to display a dozen pipes. There are two support columns each having five slots, and two additional pipes are inserted at the top of the columns in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1.

These two sizes (dozen and half-dozen are the most common, but it is evident that a greater or lesser number of columns may be used, and that the columns may be made longer or shorter so as to accommodate other numbers of pipes. A

minor difference in structure may result, for with a short support column, such as that shown in Fig. 1. a single tongue and slot '56 may be adequate, whereas with the longer support. columns shown in Fig. 2, two tongues and slots have been provided for each column, and with a still longer column it might become desirable to use three tongues and slots. With two support columns the pipes are preferably displayed with the stems pointed toward one another and the bowls pointed away from each other, as illustrated in the drawing. Moreover, the horizontal dimension of the main board is preferably made such (or the'columns so located) that thebowls of the pipes may project beyond the edge of the main board somewhat, thus more conspicuously outlining the differently shaped bowls of the pipes.

It is believed that the construction, method of use, and advantages of my improved display card, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. The entire display card may be manufactured complete by a. single manufacturer out of a minimum of parts with a. minimum number of operations. cords, or spring clips are required. The parts are all cardboard or like material, and are assembled by a simple cementing operation. The parts are cemented in flat condition and may be stored and shipped in that condition, but are readily turned outwardly and assembled or put into working condition by the storekeeper receiving the same. The pipes and display cards may be shipped separately in compact packages. The pipes are conspicuously and attractively displayed by the card. They may be removed for handling and examination by a prospective customer, and then restored to the display card. Several of the pipes may be displayed with the open bowl foremost in order to showthe interior of the bowl, this being of No wires,

particular value when the pipes are pre-smoked or precaked.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A display card for tobacco pipes, comprising a main board made of cardboard or the like, an easel in back of said main board for holding the same in nearly upright position, and a hollow support column on the front of said main board, said support column being made of cardboard or the like and having transverse openended slots cut therein from the front rearwardly toward the main board and each dimensioned to friotionally receive the stem of a pipe and to thereby hold the pipe collaterally in front of the main board,'the upper end of said hollow column being open and adapted to receive the downwardly pointed stem and shank of a pipe with the bowl of the pipe supported above the column, the slots terminating in front of the main board far enough to provide clearance for the downwardly pointed stem between the horizontal stems and the main board, and the open top end of the column being smaller than the pipe bowl in order to support the same.

2. A display card for tobacco pipes, each having a stem with a flattened bit end, said display card comprising a main board made of cardboard or the like, an easel in back of said main board for holding the same in nearly upright position but arranged to fold flat against the back of the board when not in use, and a support column projecting from the front of said main board, said support column being made of cardboard or the like, and having transverse openended slots cut therein from the front rearwardly toward the main board, each of said slots being concavo-convex when viewed in profile, with the convex side on bottom and the concave side on top, and each having a width somewhat less than the thickness of the flattened bit end of the pipes and being thereby dimensioned to frictionally receive the bit end of the stem of 'a pipe and to thereby hold the pipe collaterally in front of the main board, said support column being 'arranged to fold fiat against the front of the main board when not in use.

3. A display card for tobacco pipes, each having a stem with a flattened bit end, said display card comprising a main board made of cardboard or the like, an easel in back of said main board for holding the same 'innearly upright position, and a support column projecting from the front of said main board, said support column being made of cardboard or the like, and having transverse open-ended slots cut therein from the front rearwardly toward the main board, each of said slots being concavo-convex when viewed in profile, with the convex side on bottom and theconcave side on top, and each having a width somewhat less than the thickness of the flattened bit end of the pipes and being-thereby dimensioned to friotionally receive the bit end of the stem of a-pipe and to thereby hold the pipe collaterally in front of the main board.

OTTO BRUNNER. 

